Latest update May 13th, 2024 12:59 AM
Aug 24, 2009 Sports
Dethrone Jamaica with 4-wicket win, dominate individual awards
By Sean Devers
After every win they sing ‘run for cover…small ship stay in the harbour’ and yesterday, in the final of the Regional Women’s 50 overs cricket competition in Guyana, the raucous chanting from the Trinidad and Tobago ladies reached a crescendo of delight after their hard fought 4-wicket win against Jamaica at Bourda.
Set 117 to win after dismissing the defending champions for 116 in 46 overs, it was not all smooth sailing for the Soca Girls as Jamaica reduced them to 63-6 in sweltering heat on a flat track and lightning fast outfield. Player-of-the-Match Whitney Cudjoe hit 9 fours from 71 balls in an accomplished unbeaten 54 and shared in a match-winning unfinished 54-run 7th wicket stand with West Indies Women’s off-spinner Anisa Mohammed (14*) as T&T remained the only unbeaten team in the competition by reaching 117-6 in 40.2 overs.
Another good crowd watched as the passionate Jamaicans grimly defended their paltry total against a powerful T&T batting line-up, even without one of their leading batters who was removed from the squad for disciplinary reasons.
The off-spin combination of the Mohammed twins, Anisa (10-2-26-3) and her younger sister Alisa (10-1-20-3) ensured Jamaica were never allowed to score freely in the middle over before Amanda Samaroo (2-2 from 2 overs) removed the last 2 batters for ducks, to end the innings.
When T&T began their reply Deveka Singh was run out before a run was scored while talented West Indies female player Shanel Daley removed Alisa Mohammed (5) at 12-2.
Left-arm pacer Daley then struck a big blow when she had birthday girl Britney Cooper (5) as the girls from Carnival Country slipped to 28-3.
Cooper, a tall elegant right-hander, with scores of 43, 46 & 58 in the competition, had just exquisitely stroked Daley to the cover boundary when she edged Daley (who later retuned to bowl spin in her last 4 overs) to the keeper to spark wild celebrations among the Jamaican fans.
Samaroo (13) was run out without addition to the score and when Vanessa Watts got rid of the West Indies female pair of Stacy-Ann King (5) and Skipper Merisa Agulleira for a duck in the space of 6 runs, T&T were wobbling on the ropes on 63-6.
But with the pressure mounting on both sides Jamaica were unable to produce the knock-out punch.
The left-handed Cudjoe cut Peta-Gaye Hanson magnificently behind point and clipped her nonchalantly off her legs for consecutive fours. She received solid support from Anisa Mohammed who survived 69 balls in her unbeaten 14 to see the team from the Twin-Island Republic to victory.
Watts had 2-20 from 7 overs and Daley 2-34 from 10 for the disappointed Reggie girls who were in tears after the defeat.
The Jamaicans were beaten but not disgraced, and although taking ‘Silver’ to T&T after winning all the other Regional cricket titles this year might feel like failure, they played enterprising cricket right through the tournament before failing to clear the final hurdle yesterday.
“Jamaica played really well. They put us under plenty of pressure defending their small total. We never gave up and played really good cricket here. We deserve to win….we are the champions…Trinidad and Tobago!” T&T skipper Agulleira said at the presentation ceremony.
Earlier, Jamaica elected to bat first and Cooper removed Skipper Herma Nathon-Dawes (10) at 20-1. Chedean Nation (6) and Jodian Morgan (20) were quickly sent back by Alisa Mohammed to leave Jamaica on 59-3.
Anisa, the leading wicket-taker in the competition with 11 scalps, then had Daley (9) stumped at 76-5 while her sister had Abbie-Gaye Hendricks (11) stumped, as 2 wickets tumbled for no run.
The burly Timeka Sanford (5) and Watts (0) were both dismissed by Anisa Mohammed with the score on 88 before Gaitri Seetahal had Karla Cohen (16) caught behind at 114-8 just when she was looking to revive the position.
So disappointed was she with herself that Cohen accidentally broke her bat and two plant pots in front of the GCC pavilion as she viciously swung her bat in disgust.
Samaroo then wrapped up the innings leaving Chinelle Henry unbeaten on 16 and although 23 extras helped the Jamaican cause and their bowlers fought ‘tooth and nail’, 116 was always going to be an inadequate total.
Forty-year-old Pamela Levine took the prize for most runs in the competition while the Trinis had their hands on all of the other prizes although Bajan Daniel Small shared the prize for most catches with Anisa Mohammed. Agulleira had the most dismissals by a Keeper and Cooper took the MVP award.
President of the Guyana Cricket Board Chetram Singh praised the girls for a competitive tournament and informed that the West Indies female team to travel for an ODI and 20/20 series in South Africa in October and for the England Women’s visit to the Caribbean in November should be announced this week.
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